


A Death In The Family (but worse probably)

by lowkeylightyagami



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 08:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16404644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowkeylightyagami/pseuds/lowkeylightyagami
Summary: me and a friend like to fuck around with dc shit and i have this oc and we have this one au where he got adopted by bruce around the time that jason todd did and like? it's valid and i decided to write this shitty one shot based on what would have happened if nate had been there when tim showed up talking about how batman needs robin so yeah this exists i guess





	A Death In The Family (but worse probably)

Jason was dead. Jason was dead. Jason was  _ dead _ .

 

That thought had been going through Nate’s head for hours. Days. Probably longer. He’d lost track. He hated that all of the sudden everything revolved around his death, that all he could think about is him. But what was he supposed to do? Jason was his best friend. Jason and Bruce were two of the best things that had ever happened to him. He’d had real family for once. Now? It was all falling apart and Bruce wouldn’t admit it. No, he wanted to pretend he was fine, but he wasn’t, and everyone could tell. Without Alfred the bastard would be dead. If it wasn’t for Bruce’s moral code, maybe Jason wouldn’t be.

 

                    “Don’t think things like that.”

 

He always has to remind himself. He should stop. He knows the Joker is responsible for Jason dying, but if Bruce had only killed the Joker when he’d first fucking realized he was a madman… 

 

                    “He couldn’t have known this would happen. You can’t blame Bruce. Don’t blame Bruce. It’s not his fault, Nate.” He whispers.

 

He doesn’t buy it. But it’s not his fault the voices in his head want to find blame in everything, just so he has reason to be angry. It’s not his fault. Is it?

 

Speaking of voices, there are people talking. Grayson. Alfred. Someone new. A kid, from the sound of it. Nate guesses that calls for investigating. Guesses that means he has to stop moping for five minutes and leave his room.  

 

_ “How do you know about Jason? How do you know  _ Any  _ of this?” _

 

Grayson using his grown-up voice. This can’t be good. 

 

_ “Okay, you won’t take me seriously until I tell you everything.  _

_ Dick, I don’t want this to hurt you and I’m really afraid it might.” _

 

The kid. Nate positions himself in the doorway of the room that the trio are in, arms crossed over his chest. What is it with black haired, blue eyed kids ending up at the Wayne Manor? He hopes this one isn’t an orphan too. Nate doesn’t know if Bruce could handle that right now. 

 

_ “Tim, just tell me your story, please.” _

 

Tim does and Nate listens. His last name is Drake and presumably he has parents. He knows Dick. Not intimately, but enough. He was there the day Dick’s parents died. Brilliant. Let’s relive that poor man’s trauma. It still doesn’t explain a goddamn thing.

 

Until suddenly it does. One somersault move staying in some kid’s mind gave away who Batman and Robin were to him. Nate supposes that makes sense. Smart kid. He really put those clues together, huh? When Tim mentions the part about fantasizing about being Robin, Nate frowns.  He’s too young to want that. He can’t be much younger than Nate is but that’s still _ too young _ . No more kids. No more. Nobody else needs to know what this is like. Bruce is already going off the deep after what happened with Jason. Nate doesn’t want to imagine what would happen if he lost someone else. 

 

_ “Supposing all this is true, what do you want from me?” _

 

There’s the kicker. What does Tim want? What does revealing all this get him?

 

_ “I think he  _ needs _ you Dick. But he doesn’t need Nightwing. _

_ He needs you as Robin!” _

  
  


Oh. Of course. That makes sense. Batman doesn’t need Nightwing right now. He needs a Robin. Batman will always need a Robin. 

 

But Nate knows full well that Dick Grayson won’t go back to being Robin. He knows it before Dick tells Tim the exact same thing. At least Dick is willing to help Batman, Robin or not. It’s all they can do. He exchanges silent looks with Dick and Alfred before they all nod. Grayson shows Tim to the Batcave and he and Alfred follow. Tim, naturally, is amazed.  

 

He watches as Dick becomes Nightwing and as Tim becomes more frantic about the direness of the situation. 

 

_ “No, not Nightwing. Dick, don’t you understand--? _

_ Batman needs Robin! _

_ Doesn’t anyone understand?” _

 

_ “Perhaps, young man. Perhaps  _ _ master _ _ Dick understands profoundly. _

_ Perhaps that is why he brought you here.” _

 

Nate doesn’t like the implications that brings. He tunes them out. He needs to think. Needs to think about what has to be done here. Needs to think about what they have to do if Nightwing isn’t what Bruce- there was no point in asking that. Nate already knows Nightwing isn’t what Bruce needs, but it’s all they have. Bruce doesn’t need Nate. Nate knows he’s little more than Jason’s shadow. He’s quite sure that’s all he’ll ever be to him. There’s no point for him to become his pathetic attempt of a hero to try and help, because he’ll never be what Jason was. Dick knows Bruce better. Dick can handle it. That’s okay. 

 

Except it isn’t okay. Nothing is okay. By the time Nate has forced himself back into reality, he wishes he hadn’t. 

 

_ “--You can’t bring back the dead.” _

 

Thanks Grayson. We needed to state the obvious. 

 

“I shouldn’t have gotten out of bed for this.” Nate says to himself, bitterly. It really was pointless. His presence here was unnecessary.  

 

_ “That’s no way to talk,  _ _ Master _ _ Nate. You cannot live in your room forever.” _

 

“Watch me.”

 

Alfred sighs, clearly disappointed in Nate, and goes to console Tim. The boy is even more distraught than he was earlier. Nate knows he should apologize but he can’t bring himself to do it yet. He’s still too upset; not that you can see much of it on his face. Nate has mastered the art of the blank stare, hiding all of the internal conflict behind a mask. He doesn’t follow Alfred and Tim out of the Batcave. He needs time alone now. He’s had more social interaction today than he has in a while, and now he has to process the information Tim has given them. Nate doesn’t want to talk to anyone but himself right now. 

 

That kid is right. Batman needs his Robin. Bruce hasn’t been the same since Jason died. He’s angry and reckless and he’s going to get himself killed.

 

           “What can you do about it though? You’re not Jason. You’re not Robin. You’re just a second rate sidekick that’s lucky to be here at all. You’re not as good. You don’t know Bruce like anyone else did. Why are you spending so much time thinking it over. What’s the point, what’s the point, what’s the  _ point _ , Nathan?” 

 

The Robin suit sitting on a table catches his eye. He knows the point. He hates the point. But just looking at Tim lets him know what that boy wants to do. Nate can’t let it happen. Not to another kid. Nate needs to be ready, just in case. 

 

“Maybe I’ve still got some black hair dye upstairs.”

 

By the time Nate’s changed his hair to look like Jason’s, Tim and Alfred have returned to the Batcave. Tim sounds distressed again, which means Nate was right. Whatever is going on between Batman and Nightwing isn’t going well. Nate stands just outside the Batcave to listen. He doesn’t want to interrupt. Not yet.

 

_ “Timothy, if you dwell on worst-case scenarios,  _

_ You can worry yourself to an early grave.” _

 

_ “I’m sorry. I’m  _ really _ sorry. But this is so  _ new _ to me. _

_ Maybe someday I can figure out how to do what you do. _

_ But right now we  _ know _ where him and Dick are. _

_ And I keep thinking they’re in  _ trouble.

_ I’ve  _ got  _ to do something.” _

 

Now Nate steps in. He suspected Tim might go this far. Not suspected. He knew. It's why he did what he did.

 

“You don’t need to do anything.”

 

_ “He’s right. Tim, don’t. You  _ know _ what happened to Jason.” _

 

_ “Of course I do. But it’s like I said to Dick. Batman needs help. _

_ Batman needs Robin.” _

 

Tim looks surprised when the Robin costume is removed from his hands. More surprised when he sees the hair. Alfred is used to it by now. Everyone in the house knew Nate was fond of dressing up like Jason. He’d stopped changing his hair when Jason died. But if he was going to do this, he had to fit the part. Robin didn’t have blond roots sticking out of messy hair that was too long for his own good. Nate had to cut it. Had to redye it. Had to force himself to look like him.

 

“You’re right. Batman needs Robin. But you’re a kid. Robin can’t be you. You’ll die and I can’t let another death plague Bruce. You’d be in over your head anyways.” 

 

_ “Master Nate, surely you can’t be serious about this? _

_ You haven’t fully recovered from losing Jason either.” _

 

Nate stares down at the mask in his hands. 

 

                    “No. I haven’t. But if the choice comes down between Robin being me and dead meat over here then I have to. Someone has to. That someone is me now. 

Bit rubbish isn’t it?”

 

_ “I suppose it is, sir.” _

 

He doesn’t want to become Robin, but he has no choice. He’d rather die than let a child, with a family to go home to, take the mantle. And he feels awful, like he’s trying to replace Jason. Steal his spot. If Jason were here that’s what he would think Nate was doing. He’d be livid. 

 

There’s nothing else Nate can do. Between himself and Tim, there’s no choice to make.

 

“Alfred, get the car ready.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hi if you read this thanks it's a disaster and nobody ever likes ocs so also thanks for sticking around i guess


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